Violins of Hope: Strings of the Holocaust

Episode Description

Sunday, May 7, 2017 - 8:00 PMFor Jews during the Holocaust, there wasn't much reprieve from the despair and horror surrounding them, but music - particularly that of violins, which hold an important role in Jewish culture - offered temporary solace and a glimmer of humanity. Violinists in concentration camps were sometimes treated better and even spared their lives because of their ability to play this important instrument. This program follows the journey of Israeli violinmaker Amnon Weinstein in his efforts to restore violins recovered from the Holocaust, and captures the lessons and highlights the music the instruments now bring to others. These special artifacts from the Holocaust, which Weinstein has dubbed the "Violins of Hope," include instruments that were played by Jewish prisoners in concentration camps and others that belonged to the Klezmer musical culture.G